Obesity, cause, treatment and complication

Research at the University of Alabama states that consuming too much salt can result in uncontrolled high blood pressure. High blood pressure or hypertension is said to have resistant hypertension (resistant to treatment) if the blood pressure still did not reach the standards applicable goal after taking three blood pressure lowering drugs. Controlled Hypertension but requires four or more medications to control it is also called resistant to treatment.

“Diets high in salt plays an important role in resistance to treatment of hypertension and increased volumes and vascular resistance can lead to resistant hypertension,” said Head of Research, dr. Eduardo Pimenta. The study was conducted involving 13 patients with resistant hypertension divided into two groups, with low-salt diet and high-salt diet. These patients consume at least three blood pressure-lowering drugs. The researchers suggested that the group with low-salt diet, their systolic blood pressure decreased to 22.6 mmHg, and their systolic blood pressure fall by 9.2 mmHg, compared with high-salt diet group. In addition, weight loss, including brain natriuretic peptide levels and thoracic fluid content, two measurements are used to indicate fluid reduction, also significantly increased in low-salt diet group.

Dr. Gregg C. Fonarow, a professor of Cardiology at the University of Carolina, Los Angeles, agreed that salt could play a role in the resistance of hypertension. This research is very interesting because it shows that patients with resistant hypertension, with low-salt diet had a major impact in lowering blood pressure by reducing the retention or accumulation of fluid in the intravascular and improve vascularities function (blood vessel). Larger-scale research shows that blood pressure can be more effective to be derived by following the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), a meal planning method to reduce the salt. High consumption of salt, over 2300 mg / day should be avoided in patients with resistant hypertension.